Lecturers and auxiliary staff of the University of the West Indies (UWI) stormed the office of the St Augustine Campus Principal today.
The joint action stems from a brewing dispute over $87 million inbackpay owed to lecturers from 2011- 2014 wage negotiations.
President of the West Indies Group of University Teachers (WIGUT) St Augustine Campus, Dr Russell Ramsewak, led a group of lecturers in what he called a "docile demonstration" to deliver a letter to the campus principal, Professor Clement Sankat.
WIGUT was joined by Oilfield Workers' Trade Union (OWTU), which represents the Administrative, Technical and Service (ATS) staff, who are also engaging in wage negotiations with the campus.
The group gathered at the Learning Resource Centre (LRC) around 11 am,then walked to the Principal's Office to demand Sankat and UWI Vice Chancellor Designate Professor Hilary Beckles meet them.
When neither campus official went out to the gate, WIGUT entered through an open side gate on the southern side of the Principal's Office, even as Campus Estate Police guards tried to bar the rest of the group from entering by forming a human barricade. The group pushed past the guards and forced themselves onto the compound, which was days ago the grounds for the university's annnual UWI Fete. They demanded that Sankat meet with them.
Post by Trinidad Guardian.
Once Sankat emerged, around noon, to address the crowd, lecturers demanded that they receive their full backpay in one payment by January 30, 2015.
However, Sankat said that UWI would not be able to pay the lecturers until March and June, in two tranches.
The verbal exchanges betweenSankat, and the leaders of OWTU and WIGUT intensified, until WIGUT demanded an immediate meeting with the Sankat and the Campus executive. Sankat agreed, and the crowd regrouped outside while Sankat and Ramsewak went back indoors for what they said would be a 45-minute meeting.
More on this story to come...